By Andrew Ganz

Monday, Dec 5th, 2011 @ 11:04 am

Boasting 195 horsepower and about 295 lb-ft. of torque, the 2.0-liter CDTI engine is powerful, but Opel says the real story is its low emissions and high fuel economy. The German arm of General Motors reports that the car emits just 129 g/km of CO2 and it consumes fuel at a rate of about 48 mpg on the European cycle. Moreover, the car can sprint to 62 mph in 8.7 seconds before topping out at 143 mph.

The engine is propelled by a sequential double turbo with two charging stages, which Opel says is a first for a non-premium brand. Designed to reduce turbo lag, the system features two turbochargers for different speeds. A smaller turbo is used for initial acceleration, while mid-range power is handled by both. Under heavy acceleration and above 3,000 rpm a bypass valve sends exhaust gasses directly to the larger turbo. GM says the system's operation is seamless.

Opel says that the biturbo will retail from about 33,000 euros when it goes on sale later this year. All-wheel-drive will be optional.

In addition, Opel will now offer its SuperSport suspension on all all-wheel-drive Insignias. The suspension, which was developed for the sport-oriented Insignia OPC, includes adaptive damping, Brembo brakes and the HiPerStrut system designed to aid handling.

For the new model year, Insignia has also gained adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert and a few other radar-based safety add-ons.